EP1387036B1

EP1387036B1 - Thread joint for tube

Info

Publication number: EP1387036B1
Application number: EP03020578A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Shigeo Sumitomo Metal Ind. Ltd. Nagasaku; Jun Sumitomo Metal Ind. Ltd. Maeda; Kenichi Sumitomo Metal Ind. Ltd. Ohyabu; Akira Sumitomo Metal Ind. Ltd. Narita
Original assignee: Vallourec Mannesmann Oil and Gas France SA; Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd
Current assignee: Vallourec Oil and Gas France SAS; Nippon Steel Corp
Priority date: 1994-10-19
Filing date: 1995-10-17
Publication date: 2007-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 2015-10-17
Also published as: US5649725A; DE69535474T2; DE69532400T2; EP1387036A2; CN1130739A; EP0708224A3; EP0708224A2; EP0708224B1; DE69535474D1; CN1044279C; EP1387036A3; DE69532400D1

Description

The present invention is related to a thread joint for connecting tubes which are used for test excavation, production or the like of oil and natural gas, and particularly, to a thread joint of a surface-sealing type.
In general, a round thread joint and a buttress thread joint of API standard are used as a thread joint for connecting oil country tubular goods. However, since oil wells and gas wells are becoming deeper and deeper these years, thereby making excavation conditions severer, a thread joint is exposed to a large three-dimensional load and subjected to a severe stress. In a production well, in particular, where the joint is subjected to a stress of a circumferential direction from within tubes, the joint must remain air-tight under a 3-axial stress.
A round thread joint and a buttress thread joint do not sufficiently meet such demand. A surface-sealing type thread joint which includes a metal sealing surface was developed for this reason, and use of surface-sealing type thread joints has already begun in a number of wells. A structure of a surface-sealing type thread joint will now be described, referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B.
FIG. 1A is a partial broken view showing a connection part of oil country tubular goods, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of this portion. Tubes P and P are connected to each other by a coupling C. Each tube P includes a pin portion 10 at an end which is to be inserted into the coupling C. The coupling C includes a box portion 20 for receiving the pin portion 10. A thread joint binds the pin portion 10 and the box portion 20 by screwing.
The surface-sealing type thread joint includes a male thread 11, which tapers toward a tip with an increasingly smaller diameter, on an outer periphery. A sealing portion 12 which tapers toward a tip with an increasingly smaller diameter is formed on the tip of the male thread 11. The tip of the pin portion 10 is a shoulder portion 13 which is a partial reverse conic surface having a reverse angle with respect to a cross section which is perpendicular to an axis of the tube. On the other hand, the box portion 20 internally includes a female thread 21 which corresponds to the male thread 11. A sealing portion 22 which correspond to the sealing portion 12 is formed at a back part of the box portion 20, and at a further back part of the box portion 20, a shoulder portion 23 which corresponds to the shoulder portion 13 is formed.
When the male thread 11 is screwed into the female thread 21, the sealing portions 12 and 22 contact each other. Since this allows the shoulder portions 13 and 23 to abut each other, the pin portion 10 and the box portion 20 are sealed face to face. To generate a sufficiently large surface pressure at the sealing surfaces, a diameter difference called an interference is supplied between the sealing portion 12 of the pin side and the sealing portion 22 of the box side.
The interference S is expressed by: $S = D_{PX} - D_{BX}$

D_PX: the diameter of an apex of the pin side sealing portion (apex point)
D_BX: the diameter of an apex of the box side sealing portion (apex point)

_PX

_BX

sealing portions

shoulder portions

sealing portions

In such a thread joint of the metallic surface-sealing type for a tube, due to the diameter difference between the sealing portions 12 and 22, during a period from the beginning of the interference between the sealing portions 12 and 22 until the end of the binding, i.e., while screwing-in of the make-up on seal quantity MOS is executed, the sealing portions 12 and 22 slide in a spiral direction while maintaining a high surface pressure. Hence, galling is likely to be created at the sealing portions 12 and 22. When galling is generated, the sealing surfaces become rough, whereby a clearance or excessive interference is created locally and the sealing performance is deteriorated.
In a joint which is used for oil country tubular goods of a casing size which has a relatively large diameter, in particular, galling is likely to be created since a distance L_S that the sealing portions 12 and 22 slide (i.e., a distance that the sealing portions 12 and 22 move with friction with each other in a spiral direction) is long and a contact surface pressure P is large. If a tube is made of stainless steel which is alloy metal of nickel, chrome and etc., or is made of pure titanium or a titanium alloy, since the heat conductivity ratio is lower than that of a steel tube and a large quantity of heat is accumulated at sliding portions, galling is often created even in a tube which is of a tubing size which is a small-size.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-121385 (1985) discloses a tube joint on which an Fe plating layer and a chemical synthesis film including phosphoric acid are formed in order to prevent galling at a thread surface.
Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-286688 (1986) discloses a tube joint which satisfies the relationship: $L ≧ (D - d) tanγ$

where L: Taper Extending Size
D : Minimum Outer Diameter Of Pin
d : Maximum Inner Diameter Of Tapering Portion Of Box
γ : Inclination Angle Of Tapering Portion Of Box

R = {(m - m_{1})}^{2} / 2 (t - t_{1})

where R: Radius of Curvature of Tip Portion Of Pin
m: Total Length of Tapering Outer Peripheral Surface
m₁: Effective Sealing Length Of Tapering Outer Peripheral Surface
t: Minimum Thickness Of Tapering Outer Peripheral Surface
t₁: Thickness of Ring-Shaped End Surface

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-209291 (1987) discloses a tube thread joint which improves a galling resistance by further reducing a contact surface pressure. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-111388 (1988) discloses a tube thread joint in which two slope portions are formed on the pin side so that end portions do not contact each other when the end portion is inserted.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-89863 (1994) discloses a tube thread joint in which a guiding surface. 42 is formed in parallel to a bottom portion of a thread between a sealing surface 48 and a thread 40 and an inclination of the sealing surface 48 is larger than this, as shown in FIG. 3, so that a damage on surfaces upon engagement of the surfaces is prevented and a dope pressure is reduced.
Further joints are known from US-A-4384737 and GB-A-2160609.
The present invention has been made to solve such problems. Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide for a surface-sealing type thread joint for a tube which suppresses galling at a sealing surface without deteriorating the sealing performance.
The problem is solved by the features of claim 1.
A research conducted on galling by the inventors of the present invention to prevent galling at a sealing surface clarified the following facts.

1) In a thread joint of the surface-sealing type for a tube which includes a tapering metal sealing surface as shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B, due to the diameter difference between the sealing portions 12 and 22, a tip 12a of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side bumps against an entrance 22a of the sealing portion 22 of the box side when the tubes are screwed in and linked to each other, and hence, scratch is likely to be created at this portion. If screwing-in is further continued, galling is created at the sealing portions 12 and 22 from the scratch. As to drill tubes, tubes are discharged outside a well one after another while performing so-called breaking to replace a drill bit or for other purposes. Since the scratch resulted from linking creates another scratch at other position during breaking and a number of scratches are induced at the sealing portions 12 and 22, galling is likely to be created
Hence, an effective countermeasure to deal with galling due to a contact of an engagement type tubes is to determines a length L_B of the sealing portion 22 of the box side in such a manner that the sealing portions 12 and 22 start interfering in a condition that the tip portion of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side is completely within the sealing portion 22 of the box side.
2) From the view point of dynamics, galling at a sealing portion of a surface-sealing type tube thread joint for a tube is generated when accumulated friction heat due to sliding under a surface pressure load exceeds a limit value locally at a sliding surface and the metal of a contact surface is partially melted. Hence, when the same materials are used under the same conditions, galling is larger likely to be generated as a value W expressed as below is larger: $W = P (Surface Pressure) \times L_{s} (Sliding Distance)$
The surface pressure P is in proportion to the interference S (= D_PX - D_BX) within the range of elasticity. However, it is not affordable to reduce the interference S since a good sealing performance is to be maintained. Hence, to shorten the sliding distance L_S is effective to prevent galling.
3) From a research on a relationship between the sliding distance L_S and galling as to various outer diameters of tubes, the relationship as that shown in FIG. 4 was found. That is, when the sliding distance L_S satisfies the following condition: $Sliding Distance L_{s} / Outer Diaαeter of tube OD ≦ - 0.0093 \times (Outer Diameter of tube OD) + 4.73$
galling due to the sliding distance L_S is prevented. This means that when the outer diameters OD are the same, the sliding distance L_S needs be smaller than an upper limit value which is determined by the outer diameters OD, and that the upper limit value becomes smaller as the outer diameters OD become smaller. Hence, the thread joint for a tube of the invention satisfies the relationship (1).
4) In the thread joint of the surface-sealing type for a tube, a dope is used for a lubricant between the sealing portions 12 and 22. If the sealing portions 12 and 22 interfere with each other when screwed, the dope disposed between the tip of the male thread 11 of the pin side and the point of interference is confined within a space which is shown by hatching in FIG. 2A. Compressed as tightening proceeds, the confined dope creates a dope pressure. Although the dope pressure contributes to improve the lubrication between the sealing portions 12 and 22, if too high, the dope pressure reduces the surface pressure P at the sealing portions 12 and 22 and therefore reduces the sealing performance. In a conventional thread joint, an incomplete thread is left untreated between the female thread 21 and the sealing portion 22 of the boxside, and the dope which is confined in the above-mentioned small space is compressed under a high pressure by the male thread 11 of the pin side as if pressed by a piston. Because of this, the dope pressure largely increases, thereby decreasing the surface pressure P. This may deteriorate the sealing performance.
An effective countermeasure to deal with a deterioration in the sealing performance due to an increase in the dope pressure is to form a circumferential groove in the incomplete thread which exists between the female thread 21 and the sealing portion 22 of the box side.
Hence, considering these facts, the thread joint for a tube according to the present invention satisfies the following four requirements:
1. (a) The length L_P of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side is larger than the length L_B of the sealing portion 22 of the box side;
2. (b) The length L_B of the sealing portion 22 of the box side is determined in such a manner that the sealing portions 12 and 22 start interfering with each other in a state in which the tip portion of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side is inside the sealing portions 12 of the box side;
3. (c) The sliding distance L_S satisfies the relationship below: $Sliding Distance L_{s} ≦ - 0.0093 \times {(Tube Outer Diameter)}^{2} + 4.73 \times (Tube Outer Diameter); abd$
4. (d) A circumferential groove 28 which has a width of 0.5 to 1.5 thread pitches is preferably formed between the female thread 21 and the sealing portion 22 of the box side.
5) The sliding distance (L_S) of the sealing portions is expressed approximately by: $\begin{array}{l} L_{s} & = MOS \times π \times D_{s} \div p \\ = S \times τ_{s} \times π \times D_{s} \div p \end{array}$
- where S: Quantity of Interference (= D_PX - D_BX)
- MOS: Make-Up On Seal Quantity
- 1/T_S: Inclination of Sealing Portion (Taper)
- π: Circumferential Ratio
- D_S: Sealing Portion Diameter
- p: Thread Pitch
The sealing portion diameter D_S i.s a representative diameter of the sealing portions, such as the aforementioned D_PX (Apex diameter of the sealing portion of the pin side), D_BX (Apex diameter of the sealing portion of the box side) and DB (Maximum diameter of the sealing portion of the pin side).
As can be understood from the relationships above, if the thread pitch p, the sealing portion diameter D_S and the interference S are equal, the smaller the T_S is and the larger the inclination of the sealing portion (1/T_S) is, the shorter the sliding distance L_S becomes. In short, if the inclination of the sealing portion (1/T_S) is increased from 1/10 to 1/4, the sliding distance L_S is reduced to 4/10 (= 1/2.5).
6) In the thread joint of the surface-sealing type for a tube, as shown in FIG. 3, a precedent-stage unthreaded portion 14 (guiding surface 42) which has a smaller inclination than the sealing portion 12 (48) may be disposed between the male thread 11 (40) and the sealing portion 12 (48) of the pin side. In this case, in general, the precedent-stage unthreaded portion 14 and the sealing portion 12 are connected by an curve 15 which is tangent to both the precedent-stage unthreaded portion 14 and the sealing portion 12 as shown in FIGS. 9, 10. FIGS. 9, 10 are an enlarged view enlarging a portion A of FIG. 8. In a portion where the sealing portions 12 of the pin side and the sealing portion 22 of the box side starts getting separated from each other, i.e., in a portion x of the arc side which is close to a contact point X of the curve 15 and the sealing portion 12, a contact surface pressure D reaches a peak. Therefore, galling is created very often in this portion x in reality.

According to the research conducted by the inventors of the present invention, when the radius of curvature of an arc of the curve 15 which connects the precedent-stage unthreaded portion 14 and the sealing portion 12 is relatively small and the contact point X is close to an apex of the curve 15, the peak value of the surface pressure P becomes extremely large as shown by the solid line in the graph in FIG. 8. However, when the radius of curvature of the arc is increased and the contact point X is moved away from the apex of the curve 15, a position at which the surface pressure P reaches the peak value is moved, and in addition, the peak value becomes smaller, as shown by the dotted line. Hence, galling is unlikely to be created. The peak value of the surface pressure P becomes smaller because a change from a contacting state to a non-contact state becomes moderate due to the large radius of curvature of a boundary of the contact portion and a so-called Hertz's contact stress therefore becomes smaller
Considering these facts, the thread joint for a tube according to the present invention satisfies another four requirements as follows :

(e) The inclinations of the sealing portions 12 and 22 are each a taper of 1/6 or larger, and are larger than the inclinations of the threads 11 and 21;
(f) The length L_B of the sealing portion 22 of the box side is longer than the length L_P of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side;
(g) The precedent-stage unthreaded portion 14 whose inclination is smaller than that of the sealing portion 12 is disposed between the male thread 11 and the sealing portion 12 of the pin side, and the precedent-stage unthread portion 14 and the sealing portion 12 are connected to each other by the curve 15 which is tangent to the sealing portion 12; and
(h) When the curve 15 includes a plurality of arcs (continuous curves), a distance L_a between the contact point X and an end point Z of the arc tangent to the sealing portion 12 is 1.45mm or larger. When the curve 15 is one arc (continuous curve), a distance L_b which is measured from the contact point X to a boundary Y between the precedent-stage unthread portion 14 and the sealing portion 12 is 1.45mm or larger.

The end point of the arc which is on the curve 15 and which is closest to the contact point X is designated because the contact of the seal starts to be lost in a portion where the radius of curvature becomes maximum. This portion is a boundary where the sealing surfaces are in a contact in reality. Further, the boundary Y between the precedent-stage unthread portion 14 and the sealing portion 12 is where extension lines extending from the precedent-stage unthread portion 14 and the sealing portion 12 intersect each other. If a fine radius of curvature R is formed in a portion of the boundary Y, the sealing surfaces contact each other in that portion as well, whereby the surface pressure reaches the peak in the vicinity of the boundary Y.
These above and further objects and features of the invention will more fully be apparent from the following detailed description with accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a partial broken view showing a thread joint of'a surface-sealing type;
FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of FIG. 1A;
FIG. 2A is an enlarged view showing a sealing portion of a conventional joint;
FIG. 2B is an enlarged view showing a sealing portion of a conventional joint;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a sealing portion of a conventional joint;
FIG. 4 is a graph showing a relationship between a sliding distance of a sealing portion and galling;
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional schematic diagram showing a thread joint for a tube according to a first embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a graph showing an influence of whether a circumferential groove is formed upon a dope pressure;
FIG. 7A is a cross sectional schematic diagram showing a thread joint for a tube according to a second embodiment;
FIG. 7B is a cross sectional schematic diagram showing a thread joint for a tube according to the second embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a view showing a connection portion between a precedent-stage unthread portion and a sealing portion, and a relationship between a configuration of the connection portion and a surface pressure distribution;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged view showing a portion A of FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing the portion A of FIG. 8; and
Fig. 11 is a cross sectional schematic diagram showing a modulated example of the second embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following, the present invention will be described with reference to drawings which show embodiments of the present invention.

First Embodiment

First, description will be given on an embodiment in which the length of a sealing portion of a box side is set shorter than that of a sealing portion of a pin side to shorten a sliding distance L_S.
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view showing a portion in the vicinity of a sealing portion of a thread joint for a tube according to a first embodiment. Tubes P and P are connected to each other by a coupling C (see FIG. 1A). The tubes P each include a pin portion 10 which is inserted into the coupling C. The coupling C includes box portions 20 for receiving the pin portions 10.
The pin portion 10 includes a male thread 11 which tapers toward a tip with a gradually smaller diameter, on an outer periphery. A sealing portion 12 which tapers toward a tip with a gradually smaller diameter is formed on the tip of the male thread 11. The tip of the pin portion 10 is a shoulder portion 13 which is a partial reverse conic surface having a reverse angle with respect to a cross section which is perpendicular to an axis of the tube. An unthread portion is not formed. 0n the other hand, the box portion 20 internally includes a female thread 21 which corresponds to the male thread 11. A sealing portion 22 which corresponds to the sealing portion 12 is formed at a back part of the box portion 20, and at a further back part of the box portion 20, a shoulder portion 23 which corresponds to the shoulder portion 13 is formed.
Major four requirements in terms of structure in the present embodiment are as follows:

[Structural Requirement (a)]

If the length L_P of the sealing portion 12 of the pin portion 10 is shorter than the length L_B of the sealing portion 22 of the box portion 20, the shoulder portions 13 and 23 do not contact each other when tightening is completed, and therefore, so-called shouldering- is not realized. To avoid this, the relationship L_P ≧ L_B should be satisfied.

[Structural Requirement (b)]

Because of the requirement (a), normally, the length L_P of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side satisfies: $L_{P} = L_{B} + 2 to 4 mm$
The tip portion of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side is rounded with a radius of R_P while the entrance portion of the sealing portion 22 of the box side is rounded with a radius of R_B.
If the tapers of the sealing portions 12 and 22 are α (= 1/ T_S), a value obtained by multiplying α with the make-up on seal quantity MOS (α × MOS) becomes the interference S (D_PX - D_BX) which is necessary to ensure interference between the sealing portions 12 and 22. Once a maximum value S_MAX of the interference S is determined, a maximum value MOS_MAX of the make-up on seal quantity MOS is determined by the following equation: ${MOS}_{MAX} = S_{MAX} / α$
If α = 1/10 and S_MAX = 0.4mm, the value MOS_MAX is 4mm.
If the length L_B of the sealing portion 22 of the box side is set larger than the value MOS_MAX , the sealing portions 12 and 22 start interfering with each other, that is, contact with each other in circumferential direction in a state, in which the tip portion of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side is inside the sealing portions 22 of the box side, whereby galling due to an engagement type contact is prevented.
In reality, the sealing portions 12 of the pin side has a tip of radius of curvature R (R_P) as described before. Considering this, the equation below is a condition to be satisfied to prevent galling which is created due to an engagement type contact: $L_{B} ≧ R_{P} + {MOS}_{MAX}$
When the interference S is small, MOS < MOS_MAX. Thus, galling becomes less likely also because the make-up on seals quantity MOS is small.

[Structural Requirement (c)]

As the tube outer diameter OD becomes larger, the seal outer diameter D_S such as the apex diameter D_PX of the sealing portion of the pin side becomes larger. Hence, if the tapers of the sealing portions 12 and 22 are equally α, the sliding distance L_S becomes larger as the tube outer diameter OD becomes larger. Although it apparently seems that galling is prevented if the sliding distance L_S is set not to exceed a certain value regardless of the sliding distance L_S, in reality, as shown in FIG. 4, the sliding distance L_S which is necessary to prevent galling is under an influence of the tube outer diameter OD. Hence, the conditions shown in FIG. 4, that is, the conditions below must be satisfied: $Sliding Distance L_{s} / Outer Diameter of tube OD ≦ - 0.0093 \times (Outer Diameter of tube OD) + 4.73$
$Sliding Distance L_{s} ≦ - 0.0093 \times {(Tube Outer Diameter)}^{2} + 4.73 \times (Tube Outer Diameter OD)$
In other words, the sliding distance L_S is set smaller than the upper limit value (the right-hand side of the lower one of the conditions) which is determined by the tube outer diameter OD.
The make-up on seal quantity MOS is reduced to decrease the sliding distance L_S. In short, the tapers of the sealing portions 12 and 22 are increased if the quantity of interference is same. This prevents galling due to the sliding distance L_S.
The reason why the sliding distance L_S which is needed to prevent galling is influenced by the tube outer diameter OD may be as follows. As the tube outer diameter becomes larger, the roundness becomes smaller and an oval quantity increases, which in turn allows an oval to exert an influence during interference at the sealing portions. As the oval quantity increases larger, galling is larger likely to be created. Thus, the tube outer diameter affects a galling limit
The tapers α of the sealing portions 12 and 22 are preferably selected in a range from 1/20 (a gradient of 1.432 degrees) to 1/4 (a gradient of 7.125 degrees). If the gradient is smaller than 1.432 degrees, the sliding distance L_S becomes long even if the diameter is small, which is close to the galling limit. The gradient exceeding 7.125 degrees, which causes the surface pressure to drop excessively largely under an axial tension, is not desirable, considering the leak resistance.
Further, the terminal surface angles of the shoulder portions 13 and 23, which are expressed as angles θ_P and θ_B with respect to the tube diameters, are preferably 0 to 5 degrees. The terminal surface angle of 5 degrees or larger is not desirable since that angle causes shoulder inner surfaces to deform largely during shouldering. The terminal surface angle of 0 degree or smaller is not desirable since that angle permits the shoulder portion 13 to project into the inside of the shoulder portion 23 rather than supporting the metal sealing portions.

[Structural Requirement (d)]

At the start of interference between the sealing portions 12 and 22, the dope confined forward the male thread 11 of the pin side is compressed because of subsequent tightening. Assuming that the volume of the space in which the dope is confined is V at the start of interference between the sealing portions 12 and 22 but V' at the end of tightening, the compression rate of the dope is expressed as: $V / Vʹ$
As the compression rate is larger, the dope pressure becomes larger because of a piston effect, thereby reducing the surface pressure P.
While the compression rate is high since the incomplete thread which exists between the female thread 21 and the sealing portion 22 of the box side is left untreated in the conventional thread joint, the compression rate is suppressed since the circumferential groove 28 is formed at the incomplete thread.
The reason is as follows. Assuming that the value V for the conventional thread joint is Vo, the value V' for the conventional thread joint is Vo' , the volume of the circumferential groove 28 at the start of interference between the sealing portions 12 and 22 is Vn, and the volume of the circumferential groove 28 at end of tightening is Vn' , since the circumferential groove 28 is formed, the compression rate changes as below: $V_{0} / V_{0} ʹ \to (V_{0} + V_{n}) / (V_{0} ʹ + V_{n} ʹ)$
Since Vn ≒ Vn' , $V_{0} / V_{0} ʹ > (V_{0} + V_{n}) / (V_{0} ʹ + V_{n} ʹ)$
This reduces the dope pressure at the end of tightening, which makes it possible to obviate an adverse affect upon the surface pressure P. The dope pressure at the end of tightening is preferably 400 kg/cm² or less.
A width W of the circumferential groove 28 is 1.5 to 2 pitches measured in pitches of the threads. If the width W is smaller than 1.5 pitches, uppercut of the thread cannot be completed within the groove when a 2-thread chaser is used. If the width W exceeds 2 pitches, since the length that the threads of the pin and the box engage with each other becomes shorter, an efficiency of transmitting the axial tension is deteriorated.
A depth of the circumferential groove 28, which is expressed using a diameter D_A of a bottom of the groove, is preferably a Chasing Diameter of the Female Thread of the Box Side D_B + 0.2 to 0.5mm. If the depth is smaller than D_B +0.2mm, there is a possibility that a thread bottom interferes with the groove bottom when the box thread chaser is worn out. If the depth exceeds D_B + 0.5mm, the thickness of the bottom of the groove becomes thinner, and hence, the strength of the joint is deteriorated.
In the following, result of comparison between specific embodiments and examples for comparison will be described, to thereby make effects of the present invention clear.
Various surface-seal type thread joints were made which satisfy the specifications given in TABLE 1, for tubes of three sizes which are defined as Tube Outer Diameter × Wall Thickness of 3 · 1/2" (88.9mm) × 0.254" (6.45mm), 7" (177.8mm) × 0.408" (10.36mm), 13 · 3/8" (339. 7mm) × 0.514" (13.06mm). Using a dope, binding (make) · break was repeated until galling resulted in the sealing portions. The numbers of repetitions are as given in TABLE 1.
In any one of these thread joints, the length L_P of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side is set longer than the length L_B of the sealing portion 22 of the box side, in those numbered as Nos. 1, 4 and 7, since the length L_B of the sealing portion 22 of the box side does not satisfy the following relationship: $V_{0} / V_{0} ʹ \to (V_{0} + V_{n}) / (V_{0} ʹ + V_{n} ʹ)$
galling was created at an initial stage due to an engagement type contact. In those numbered as Nos. 2, 5 and 8, since the following relationship is not satisfied: $Sliding Distance L_{s} ≦ - 0.0093 \times {(TubeOuter Diameter OD)}^{2} + 4.73 \times (Tube Outer Diameter)$
galling was created at an initial stage due to the sliding distance L_S.
In contrast, since these conditions are both satisfied in those numbered as Nos. 3, 6 and 9, both galling due to an engagement type contact and galling due to the sliding distance L_S were suppressed. As a result, the number of the repetitions was dramatically increased than in Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 and 8.
Next, in a thread joint numbered as No. 6 having a medium diameter size, a circumferential groove was formed in the incomplete thread between the female thread and the sealing portion of the box side. The width of circumferential groove was 1.5 pitches as expressed in the pitches of the thread, and the depth of the circumferential groove was the Chasing Diameter + 0.3mm as expressed in the diameter of the bottom of the groove.
The dope quantity was changed into four variations of 40g, 70g, 140g and 200g, and the dope pressure as of after completion of tightening was measured with each such dope quantity. The dope pressure was measured using a transducer through a threaded tap hole which is formed in the joint. FIG. 6 shows result of the measurement.
When the circumferential groove is formed in the incomplete thread of the box side, the dope pressure is reduced. The effect of this is greater as the dope quantity is larger.
As described earlier, in the thread joint for a tube according to the first embodiment, it is possible to effectively suppress galling at the sealing portions which has been problem in joints of the surface-sealing type, i.e., both galling due to an engagement type contact and galling due to the sliding distance, so that the number of the repetitions was dramatically increased. In addition, since it is not necessary to reduce the quantity of interference which is needed to ensure the sealing performance, there is no possibility that the sealing performance will be deteriorated
When the circumferential groove is formed between the female thread and the sealing portion of the box side, the dope pressure as it is at completion of tightening is reduced. This suppresses a drop in the surface pressure at the sealing portion, which in turn improves the sealing performance.

Second Embodiment

Now, a description will be given on an embodiment in which the length of the sealing portion of the box side is set longer than the length of the sealing portion of the pin side in order to shorten the sliding distance L_S.
FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8, 9 and 10 are cross sectional views showing a portion which is in the vicinity of the sealing portion in the second embodiment. Inclinations of the sealing portions 12 and 22 each have a taper of 1/6 or larger, and are larger than inclinations of the threads 11 and 21. The length L_B of the sealing portion 22 of the box side is larger than the length L_P of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side. The precedent-stage unthread portion 14 whose inclination is smaller than that of the sealing portion 12 is formed between the male thread 11 and the sealing portion 12 of the pin side, and the precedent-stage unthread portion 14 and the sealing portion 12 are connected to each other by the curve 15 (FIGS. 9, 10) which is tangent to the sealing portion 12. When the curve 15 includes a plurality of arcs (continuous curves), a distance L_a between the contact point X and an end point Z of the arc tangent to the sealing portion 12 is 1.45mm or larger. When the curve 15 is one arc (continuous curve), a distance L_b which is measured from the contact point X to a boundary Y between the precedent-stage unthread portion 14 and the sealing portion 12 is 1.45mm or larger.
The inclinations of the sealing portions 12 and 22 are set larger than the inclinations of the threads 11 and 21 in order to avoid collision of the tip 12a of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side and the entrance 22a of the sealing portion 22 of the box side during screwing-in. Such collision creates a scratch in the sealing portions 12 and. 22, and the sliding of the sealing portions 12 and 22 at subsequent screwing subjects to create galling in the sealing portions 12 and 22 at the position of the scratch. By preventing collision of the tip 12a of the sealing portion 12 and the entrance 22a of the sealing portion 22, one of the causes of galling the sealing portions 12 and 22 is removed. Where the inclination of the sealing portions with respect to the tube axis is a and the inclination of the threads is β, it is preferable that the relationship 4/3 ≦ α / β ≦ 14.6 is satisfied. Too large value α/β is not desirable from the view point of maintaining the sealing performance under an axial tension applied.
The purpose of setting the length L_B of the sealing portion 22 of the box side longer than the length L_P of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side is also to prevent collision of the tip 12a of the sealing portion 12 and the entrance 22a of the sealing portion 22 by increasing the diameter difference between the diameter of the entrance of the sealing portion 22 and the diameter of the tip of the sealing portion 12. The value L_B/L_P is preferably expressed by EQUATION (1). Too large value L_B/L_P makes processing difficult since the sealing portion 22 and the thread 21 of the box side get too close to each other. $\begin{array}{l} EQUATION (1) \\ \begin{array}{r} 1 + \frac{R_{S}}{L_{P}} ≦ \frac{L_{S}}{L_{P}} ≦ (\frac{L_{A}}{\cos \{\tan^{-1} \frac{1}{2 T_{S}}\}} + L_{P}) / L_{P} \\ or ≦ (\frac{(DA - DB) T_{S}}{\cos \{\tan^{-1} \frac{1}{2 T_{S}}\}} + L_{P}) / L_{P} \end{array} \end{array}$
Even if the length L_B of the sealing portion 22 of the box side is shorter than the length L_P of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side, by increasing the length of an areas in which the sealing portions 12 and 22 contact mutually each other, or increasing the angles of the inclination of the sealing portions 12 and 22, the diameter difference between the diameter of the entrance of the sealing portion 22 and the diameter of the tip of the sealing portion 12 becomes larger, thereby preventing such collision described above. In the embodiment the inclinations of the sealing portions 12 and 22 are as steep as 1/6 or larger as described later, and whereby the length L_B of the sealing portion 22 of the box side is set longer than the length L_P of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side.
The purpose of setting the inclinations α of the sealing portions 12 and 22 as tapers of 1/6 or larger is to reduce the sliding distance L_S of the sealing portions 12 and 22 and hence to the value W which is expressed as: $W = P (Surface Pressure) \times L_{s} (Sliding Distance)$
so that galling is made unlikely. The inclinations are preferably 1/4≦ α ≦1/1.373. Too large value α is not desirable from the view point of maintaining the sealing performance under an axial tension applied.
The purpose of disposing the precedent-stage unthread portion 14, whose inclination is smaller than that of the sealing portion 12, between the male thread 11 and the sealing portion 12 of the pin side, and connecting the precedent-stage unthread portion 14 and the sealing portion 12 by the curve 15 which is tangent to the sealing portion 12 is to increase the portion x where the sealing portions 12 and 22 contact each other, to thereby gradually separating the sealing portions 12 and 22 from each other and decrease the peak value of the contact surface pressure P.
FIG. 9 shows a case where a distance L_a from an end point Z (a position in the direction of the surface of the sealing portion 12) to a contact point X of a circular arc K₁ tangent to the sealing portion 12, is larger than a distance L_b, the curve 15 comprising the circular arc K₁ of a radius R₁ and a circular arc K₂ of a radius R₂. The circular arc K₂ is tangent to the precedent-stage unthread portion 14.
FIG. 10 shows a case when a distance L_a from an end point Z (a position in the direction of the surface of the sealing portion 12) to a contact point X of a circular arc K₁ of a radius R₁ and tangent to the sealing portion 12, is smaller than a distance L_b, the curve 15 comprising the circular arc K₁ of a radius R₁, a circular arc K₂ of a radius R₂ and a circular arc K₃ of a radius R₃. The circular arc K₂ is tangent to the precedent-stage unthread portion 14. The circular arc K₃ is tangent to the circular arc K₁ and the circular arc K₂. In these cases, the distance L_a is set to be 1.45mm or larger, since the curve 15 includes a plurality of arcs.
When the curve 15 is a single circular arc (radius R₁) tangent to the sealing portion 12 and precedent-stage unthread portion 14, the distance L_b is set to be 1.45mm or larger.
Assuming that the precedent-stage unthread portion 14 is a straight surface which is parallel to the tube axis, a radius R₁ of the circular arc which is needed to realize L_a (L_b) ≧ 1. 45mm is 12mm or larger if the tapers of the sealing portions are 1/2 but 24mm or larger if the tapers of the sealing portions are 1/4.
Although the galling resistance changes depending on a surface treatment, R₁ ≧ 13mm if the tapers of the sealing portions are 1/2 but R₁ ≧ 26mm if the tapers of the sealing portions are 1/4. That is, by adopting a combination of tapers of the sealing portions which have the distance L_a of 1.6mm or larger and the radius R₁, the galling resistance remains excellent regardless of the type of the surface treatment. From this point of view, the distance above is preferably 1.6mm or larger
As to an upper limit of the distance above, from a view point measurement of the seal diameters, it is desirable that L_a (L_b) ≦ (L_P -Tip Radius R_P) - 2, i.e., that is, the sealing portion of the pin side includes a taper portion (straight portion) of at least about 2mm. This is desirable also from a view point of the surface pressure distribution at the sealing surfaces. If there is no taper portion, the seal surface pressure distribution has a mountain-like configuration, indicating that galling is likely to be created at that portion. Further, such makes measurement of the pin side seal diameter difficult and makes it impossible to accurately set the interference with the sealing surfaces of the box side.
Next, results of comparing the specific embodiments and the examples for comparison will be described, in order to clarify the effect obtained in the present invention.
Various joints whose sizes are defined in TABLES 2, 3 and 4 were made as thread joints of a coupling type for tubes. The threads of the various prototype joints are coated with a lubricant compound, and a tightening test was conducted in which binding/break is repeated until galling is made at the sealing portions. The maximum number of repetitions was 10. TABLES 5 and 6 show results.
As can be understood from TABLE 6, in the examples for comparison, scratches (thin linear defects) are created with a small number of binding/break. After amending using an oil stone or the like, galling was created soon during re-use. Further re-use (binding/break) was impossible. However, as can be understood from TABLE 5, binding/break was possible up to ten times according to the embodiment in any one of the cases. The reason for setting the maximum number of repetitions of binding/break as 10 is because the number of repetitions usually adopted in a test for examining the galling resistance of a joint for tubing is 10.
Although the embodiment above is related to the coupling method, similar effects are created in the case of an integral method as well.
The curve for connecting the precedent-stage unthread portion and the sealing portion of the pin side was described in relation to where the curve is a single circular arc. However, similar effects are created even when the single arc is approximated by a multi-dimension curve or a combination of multi curves.
The precedent-stage unthread portion was described in relation to where this portion is parallel to the axis of the tube. However, even when this portion is inclined, by changing the inclinations of the sealing portions in such a manner that the angle with respect to the sealing portions becomes same as those in the embodiments, the distance between the boundary Y and the contact point X is made same if the radius R of the connecting arc is same, thereby creating same effects.
As described above, in the thread joints for tubes according to the present invention, galling at the sealing portions which has been a problem with the surface-sealing method is largely suppressed. Further, since it is not necessary to reduce the quantity of interference which is needed to ensure the sealing performance, there is no possibility that the sealing performance will be deteriorated.
FIG. 11 is a cross sectional 1 schematic diagram showing a modulated example of the second embodiment. In this example, the length L_B of the sealing portion 22 of the box side is set shorter than the length L_P of the sealing portion 12 of the pin side. An incomplete thread 24 and a seal guiding surface 25 are formed between the female thread 21 and sealing portion 22 of the box portion 20.

The seal guiding surface 25 and sealing portion 22 are connected to each other by a curve 26 which is tangent to the sealing portion 22. The curve 26 has the distance from the contact point between the sealing portion 22 and the curve 26 to the point separating from the sealing portion 12 of the pin portion 10, of 1.45mm or larger, same as the curve 15 in the embodiment 2. This example obtains the same effect as the embodiment 2, that is, the peak value of the contact surface pressure P is decreased.

TABLE 1

No	OUTER DIAMETER OF TUBE (mm)	WALL THICKNESS (mm)	R_P	L_B (mm)	MOS_MAX	TAPER	L_S (mm)	NUMBER OF TIMES
1			1.5	4.5	4.0	1/10	300	1
2	88.9	6. 45	1.0	5.2	4.0	1/12	360	3
3			1.0	5.2	4.0	1/10	300	15
4			1.5	5.5	5.0	1/10	500	1
5	177.8	10.36	1. 2	6.5	5.0	1/12	750	3
6			1.2	6.5	5.0	1/8	500	10
7			1.5	5.5	5.0	1/4	500	1
8	339.7	13.06	1.4	6.5	5.0	1/8	1000	4
9			1.4	6.5	5.0	1/4	500	10

TABLE 2

	1	2
OUTER DIAMETER OF TUBE	273.05mm(10.75")	177.80mm(7")
WALL THICKNESS	24.38mm(0.960 ")	11.51mm(0.453")
OUTER DIAMETER OF COUPLING	300.35mm	195. 98mm
MATERIALS OF TUBE AND COUPLING	AP I ST. C 95(YIELD STRENGTH OF 66.79 kgf/mm²)	LOW. ALLOY STEEL OF YIELD STRENGTH OF 70.31 kgf/mm²
UNTHREAD PORTION	PARALLEL TO AXIS	PARALLEL TO AXIS
CURVE BETWEEN UNTHREAD PORTION AND SEALING PORTION	ONE TANGENTIAL ARC	ONE TANGENTIAL ARC
RADIUS OF CURVATURE	VARIABLE(TABLE 2)	VARIABLE(TABLE 2)
SEAL TAPER	VARIABLE(TABLE 2)	VARIABLE(TABLE 2)
SEAL LENGTH	VARIABLE(TABLE 2)	VARIABLE(TABLE 2)
THREAD TAPER	1/5.5 (CONSTANT)	1/16 (CONSTANT)
THREAD FORM	TRAPEZOID	TRAPEZOID
THREAD PITCH	6.35mm(4THREADS/INCH)	5.08mm(5THREADS/INCH)
THREAD HEIGHT	2.400mm	1. 575mm
SURFACE TREATMENT	PHOSPHORIC ACID COATING OR BOX WITH COPPER PLATING	PHOSPHORIC ACID COATING OR BOX WITH COPPER PLATING
DIAMETER OF SEALING PORTION	264.70mm	171.00mm
INTERFERENCE (D_PX-D_BX)	Max 0.95mm	Max 0.75mm
SLIDING DISTANCE L_S	598mm	547mm

TABLE 3

(EMBODIMENT)
Gr.	No.	TAPER OF SEALING PORTION		L_P	L_B	RADIUS OF CURVATURE(mm)	L		L_S
Gr.	No.	TAPER OF SEALING PORTION		(mm)	(mm)	RADIUS OF CURVATURE(mm)	(mm)		(mm)
1	A. A'	1/2	○	6. 0	10.0	12	1.478	○	250	○
	B	1/2	○	6. 0	10.0	13	1. 600	○	250	○
	C	1/2	○	6.0	10.0	16	1.970	○	250	○
	D, D'	1/4	○	6.0	10.0	24	1.494	○	497	○
	E	1/4	○	6.0	10.0	26	1.619	○	497	○
	F	1/4	○	6.0	10.0	32	1.992	○	497	○
	G	1/5	○	6.0	10.0	32	1.596	○	621	×
	H	1/6	○	6.0	10.0	36	1.497	○	745	×
	I	1/6	○	6.0	10.0	48	1.997	○	745	×
2	J	1/4	○	6.5	10.5	24	1. 494	○	317	○
	K	1/4	○	6.5	10.5	26	1.612	○	317	○
	L	1/4	○	6.5	10.5	32	1.992	○	317	○
	M	1/6	○	6.5	10.5	36	1.497	○	476	○
	N	1/6	○	6.5	10.5	40	1.664	○	476	○
	0	1/6	○	6.5	10.5	44	1.830	○	476	○
	P	1/7	×	6.5	10.5	44	1.569	○	555	×
	Q	1/8	×	6.5	10.5	48	1.499	○	634	×
	R	1/8	×	6.5	10.5	52	1.623	○	634	×

A ' : BOX WITH COPPER PLATE
D ' : BOX WITH COPPER PLATE
ALL EXCEPT A ' AND D ' : PHOSPHORIC ACID COATING

TABLE 4

(COMPARABLE EXAMPLE)
Gr.	No	SEAL SEAL TAPER	L_P	L_B	RADIUS OF CURVATURE(mm)	L	L_S
Gr.	No	SEAL SEAL TAPER	(mm)	(mm)	RADIUS OF CURVATURE(mm)	(mm)	(mm)
1	S	1/2	6.0	10.0	8	0.985 3	250	○
	T	1/2	6.0	10.0	10	1.231 3	250	○
	U	1/2	6.0	10.0	11	1.354 3	250	○
	V	1/4	6. 0	10.0	16	0.996 3	497	○
	W	1/4	6.0	10.0	22	1.370 3	497	○
	X	1/4	8.0 2	5.0 2	26	1.619	497	○
	Y	1/8	6.0	10.0	48	1.499	994	×
2	Z	1/4	6.5	10.5	20	1.245 3	317	○
	AA	1/4	6.5	10.5	22	1.370 3	317	○
	AB	1/6	6.5	10.5	32	1.331 3	476	○
	AC	1/6	6.5	10.5	34	1.414 3	476	○
	AD	1/10	7.5 2	6.5 2	(4.5)	(1.086)	793	×
	AE	1/16 1	11.0 2	7.5 2	-	-	1268	×

1 : SEAL TAPER < THREAD TAPER

2 : L_P > L_B

3 : L < 1.45
( ) : BOX SIDE

TABLE 5

(EMBODIMENT)
Gr.	No.	SCRATCH	10th TIMES
1	A	7th TIMES	OK(WITH CARE)
	A'	NO	OK
	B	NO	OK
	C	NO	OK
	D	6th TIMES	OK(WITH CARE)
	D'	NO	OK
	E	9th TIMES	OK(WITH CARE)
	F	NO	OK
	G	9th TIMES	OK(WITH CARE)
	H	7th TIMES	OK(WITH CARE)
	I	9th TIMES	OK(WITH CARE)
2	J	8th TIMES	OK(WITH CARE)
	K	NO	OK
	L M	NO 7th TIMES	OK OK(WITH CARE)
	N	NO	OK
	O	NO	OK
	P	NO	OK
	Q	9th TIMES	OK(WITH CARE)
	R	7th TIMES	OK(WITH CARE)

TABLE 6

(COMPARABLE EXAMPLE)
Gr.	No.	SCRATCH	GALLING
1	S	→	1st TIME'
	T	2nd TIMES	3rd TIMES
	U	3rd TIMES	5th TIMES
	V	1st TIME	2nd TIMES
	W	2nd TIMES	3rd TIMES
	X	1st TIME (START FROM TIP OF PIN)	2nd TIMES
	Y	3rd TIMES	4th TIMES
2	Z	2nd TIMES	4th TIMES
	AA	3rd TIMES	4th TIMES
	AB	2nd TIMES	3rd TIMES
	AC	3rd TIMES	5th TIMES
	AD	1st TIME (START FROM TIP OF PIN)	2nd TIMES
	AE	1st TIME (START FROM TIP OF PIN)	3rd TIMES

Claims

A thread joint of a surface-sealing type used for a tube, in which
a pin portion (10) including
a male thread (11) formed in a tapering configuration with respect to an axis of a tube,
a sealing portion (12) formed in a tapering configuration at a tip of the male thread (11), and
a shoulder portion (13) formed at a tip of the sealing portion (12), and
a box portion (20) including
a female thread (21) formed in a tapering configuration with respect to an axis of a tube,
a sealing portion (22) formed in a tapering configuration in a back part of the female thread (21), and
a shoulder portion (23) formed in a back part of the sealing portion (22),
are screwed in into each other and bound so that sealing portions (12, 22) come into contact with each other and shoulder portions (13, 23) are abut each other,
an unthread portion (14,25) as a preceding stage is disposed between the thread (11,21) and the sealing portion (12,22) of the pin portion (10) or the box portion (20) and separating from the sealing portion (12,22), and inclination of the pin portion is smaller than that of the sealing portion (12) of the pin portion, and the unthread portion (14,25) and the sealing portion (12,22) are connected to each other by a curve (15,26) including either an arc or a plurality of arcs which is tangent to the sealing portion (12,22),
characterized in that,
when the curve (15,26) includes a plurality of arcs (K₁,K₂,K₃), a distance L_a from a contact point X between the sealing portion (12,22) and the curve (15,26) to an end point Z of the arc tangent to the sealing portion (12,22) is 1.45 mm or larger, and
when the curve (15,26) is a single arc (K₁), a distance L_b from the contact point X to a boundary Y between the unthread portion (14,25) and the sealing portion (12,22) is 1.45 mm or larger
A thread joint for a tube according to Claim 1,
wherein a sliding distance L_s which expresses a quantity of spiral sliding of the sealing portions (12, 22) relative to each other during a tightening period from the start of a contact between the sealing portions (12, 22) in a circumferential direction until the shoulder portions (13, 23) abut each other satisfies the following relationship: $Sliding Distance L_{s} ≦ - 0.0093 \times {(Tube Outer Diameter)}^{2} + 4.73 \times (Tube Outer Diameter) .$
A thread joint for a tube, according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
the sealing portion (12) of the pin portion (10) is inclined at 1/6 or larger which is larger than inclination of the male thread (11), and
the sealing portion (22) of the box portion (20) is inclined at 1/6 or larger which is larger than the inclination of the female thread (21).